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FEATURE: “Black Woman Artist Poses Nude At Former New York Slave Trade Sites”

July 8, 2015

Take a look at visual artist Nona Faustine’s “White Shoes” series, profiled by Black Girl Long Hair. The nude series was inspired partly by Saartjie “Sarah” Baartman: exhibited in 19th-century Europe (due to her large buttocks) as freak show attraction. And the choice of ‘White Shoes” is a reference, as Faustine puts it, to “the white patriarchy that we cannot escape.” In regards to her bold project, the artist states: “As a time traveler I’m very invested in the past and our future. I see myself, the people who built this city and country as one. They deserve so much recognition for their sacrifice and contributions, something that is still being denied them. There was a force deep inside of me that needed to pay homage to those who played a pivotal role in the early history of this city, and the spaces in which they existed. I wanted to uncover those places where a tangible link to the past exists. Being a documentarian at heart I wanted you to feel and see those spaces, let your mind wonder. What does a Black body look like today in the place where they sold human beings 250 years ago? No other medium but photography and film could do that.“ Check out the images below.

By Alexander Aplerku, AFROPUNK Contributor

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“From Her Body Came Their Greatest Wealth”, Wall Street, New York, from the White Shoes series, Copyright Nona Faustine